What a sweet picture book about friendship, community, and overcoming your fears. The tone and feel of the artwork in this book made it especially stunning! However, I'd recommend a paper copy, as the digital version didn't always render correctly on my e-reader or iPad.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this title. This review contains my honest thoughts.

Shine by Bruno Valasse offers a beautiful metaphor for finding community and overcoming adversity to achieve your goals, making it the perfect teaching tool for children. This is the sort of book that I want children in my community reading in order to build empathy. The book almost had me crying (in a good way) and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tundra books for letting me read this book early!

This is a super sweet picture book about fears, and friendship. I really loved the art and the colour palette and can’t wait to see it in person.

A pretty short story about conquering your fears and letting your true self shine. The illustrations truly carry this story and I honestly wouldn't have minded this being a book without words.

This is a cute short story about a moth who ventures out! I loved the artwork and the message. Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for this read!

Very cute book about embracing our true selves. I love how it shows that we can move through our fears and be ourselves. 10/10 recommend.

Illustrations were cute. Book probably targeted for 6-8 year olds. I know our 3 year old wouldn't enjoy or understand it. Story might be a tad to short in my opinion. Gave it a 3 star based on illustrations.

Inspired by the author's own fear of the dark it is the story of a moth who wants to look at the stars. It was a little short storywise, but cute and I really enjoyed the art.

3 stars

The story and illustrations matched up well but weren’t quite up to the level I’d expected. All good in the grand scheme of things but not a good fit for me or my seven year old daughter.

Thanks to the publisher for access to this in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book with my 3 and 5-year-old. The pictures captivated them, but I think the story was a little lost on them. It also was a little bit scary at points for my 3-year-old. While I believe that it was a good book, I'm not sure that it is something we will keep in our regular rotation.

Shine is a very sweet story about being brave in the face of one's fears. The illustrations are very cute and there is an unusual color scheme that is consistent throughout the book; I thought the visuals were successful in these respects. As for the plot/storyline, I didn't think it was super clear (even though I understood the overall message well enough). I didn't understand how the moth was able to stop his bug friends from being eaten. And as for him making light in the darkness with his lightning bug friends, how, because moths don't make light? I know it's just a kid's book but I think it might be confusing for them too.

A sweet, thoughtful story to inspire children to face fears and enjoy new spaces. This lovely book opens readers’ eyes to finding joy even in the darkness you were once scared of.

Sweet, succinct delight.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an e-arc of Shine, a beautiful new children's book. It is the perfect length and has a lovely little tale. The illustrations are an interesting slightly different color scheme than what you often see and I liked that it lends itself so well to the story.

Slightly inspirational, as the best children's books are, touches on home, family, safety etc. I felt it could have been a little more clear plotwise but it is more of a folk tale variety it seems and doesn't go into much depth due to the age group for which it seems intended.

All in all a sweet story with interesting artsy folkish graphics/pictures.

As a moth enthusiast, this picture book was right up my alley. I loved the illustration style, especially the night sky depictions which aren't in many picture books. The story did a great job of showing how to handle and overcome or live with a fear of the dark, and I loved the details of moth's camouflage.

Shine follows a moth who is afraid of the dark but loves the stars. I love the message of doing things even when one is afraid and how it highlights the importance of community. The color palate is showcased on the cover and the following illustrations are complex which pairs nicely with the simple, lyrical text.

I’m excited to share this book with my friends who teach little ones!

The illustrations and color palette for this book are beautiful. The cover is so cute and it will definitely grab the attention of young readers. The text is simple, which will allow emerging readers to read it independently.

I was charmed from start to finish with this simple story of a lightning bug learning to face his fears - notably that of the dark! The illustrations by Mexican artist Bruno Valasse truly elevate the narrative. The color palate is vibrant but minimal - limited to gold, teal, and rust along with black and white. The first person narrative keeps the universal personal and is full of heart. The opening lines capture it all, " This is a story about stars. No, it's a story about fear. Or maybe it's a story about me? Actually, this is a story about all of those things."

Many thanks to NetGalley for access to this early-release digital edition.

Shine discusses overcoming one's fears by relying on friends, families, and community. The only reason I wouldn't advise students to purchase this book is because there is somewhat of a scary scene where some of the moth's friends are eaten by frogs and that could be somewhat scary for much younger students. Otherwise, Valasse does a great job of showing how to rely on one's community to overcome their fears of the dark.

The illustration and overall style of this book is one that I think is really on trend in popular right now. However, I think the story overall is a bit lacking. I think there are a few spots that could use some expansion, particularly in reinforcing the message of working together and shining. The story feels a bit empty, but the overall look I think could make it a briefly popular book in my library.

Shine was a very beautiful and moving picture book. This is geared towards kids but I think adults will love this just as much. The illustrations were gorgeous. I found myself immersed in the beautifulness of those illustrations. The story was so touching that it brought some joy to this black-hearted one.

Sometimes all we need to do is face our fears head-on and it's even better if we have friends in our corner.